Ukraine

A large East European country, with Kyiv's golden-domed church groups and Lviv's Central European-style old town as its two cultural cores — but it is currently still in a state of war. This article only covers culture and transport basics and does not constitute travel advice; before travelling, be sure to follow your own government's official travel advice and local alerts.

History: The official language of Ukraine is Ukrainian, and the currency is the hryvnia (UAH). Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv and Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, and the historic centre of Lviv Old Town, are listed as World Heritage. Kyiv is one of the important origins of East Slavic civilisation, and the Lavra's underground caves and church groups remain religious and historical sites today. Lviv Old Town preserves a Central European urban character under Polish, Austro-Hungarian and Ukrainian influences, with a strong café culture. Ukrainian cuisine is represented by borshch, varenyky dumplings and deruny potato pancakes, with considerable regional variation in preparation. Legend: A legend about Kyiv's founding is told: three brothers, Kyi, Shchek and Khoryv, and their sister Lybid, founded a city on the Dnipro, and the city was named after the eldest brother, Kyi. This is the legend recorded in the Primary Chronicle; the exact founding date and personal details are to be verified, and it must not be cited as exact founding history.

• Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv (Sofiiskyi sobor / Kyiv) — an 11th-century church with frescoes and mosaics; keep quiet when visiting.
• Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra (Kyievo-Pecherska lavra) — caves, churches and museum groups; dress appropriately in religious sites.
• Andriyivskyy Descent, Kyiv (Andriivskyi uzviz) — a sloping old street concentrated with painters, second-hand goods and crafts, with St Andrew's Church as its landmark.
• Lviv Old Town and Market Square (Ploshcha Rynok / Lviv) — town hall, colourful terraced houses and cafés, suitable for walking.
• High Castle Hill, Lviv (Vysokyi Zamok) — climb for a panorama of the old town; evening light is best (subject to local safety advice).

Currently, Ukrainian airspace is not open to commercial passenger flights; the regular way in is overland via neighbouring countries. Most commonly, take a train or car via Poland to a border area (such as Przemyśl) and then transfer to Ukrainian railways to Lviv and Kyiv. International trains such as Kyiv–Warsaw still run, but times may be temporarily adjusted due to the security situation; before travelling, be sure to follow Ukrainian Railways and official announcements. Domestic long-distance travel in Ukraine is centred on rail; stations have security and luggage checks, and arriving 45–60 minutes early is recommended. Intercity minibuses (marshrutka) cover small and medium-sized cities: hail them, buy a cash ticket from the driver and call out your stop loudly; rural routes have limited frequencies. Metros in Kyiv, Kharkiv and elsewhere double as shelters during air-raid alerts; when an alert sounds, be sure to follow staff instructions and go to the nearest shelter, and do not insist on travelling during an alert. For city taxis, use ride-hailing apps (Bolt, Uklon and others) or licensed vehicles, and confirm the price before departure. Fines for travelling without a ticket, illegal parking and the like are subject to official announcements. Night rural driving is higher-risk; long night self-driving is not recommended.

• Red Line: Do not photograph military facilities, checkpoints, air-defence facilities or soldiers' faces; during air-raid alerts, do not gather to watch, photograph or refuse to enter shelters; do not talk loudly in memorial places, churches and museums; do not treat war sites and victims' memorials with a "war tourism" curiosity mindset.
• Taboo: The traps outsiders most easily fall into: (1) posting troop movements, alert locations and shelter information in real time on social media — this may endanger others' safety; (2) dressing revealingly or casually photographing ceremonies in churches and monasteries; (3) assuming the whole country can be freely visited — the eastern front, southern war zones and occupied territories are strictly off-limits to visitors; before travelling beyond relatively rear cities such as Kyiv and Lviv, be sure to check official advice.
• Good Manners: Say "Dobryi den" as a greeting and "Diakuiu" to say thank you; when invited to someone's home, bring a small gift and remove shoes on entering (when the host indicates); restaurant tips of 5%–10% may be left at your discretion; when talking with local people, keep war topics restrained and empathetic, and do not press them about private casualty experiences; during power cuts, when using public heating and charging places such as "Points of Invincibility" (Punkt nezlamnosti), wait in order.

Before travelling, be sure to check your own government's official travel advice, buy insurance covering Ukraine and download a local air-raid alert app. For accommodation, prefer places with a shelter or near a metro station, and avoid top floors and proximity to military and energy facilities. Carry a power bank, offline maps, cash and photocopies of documents. Tap water is not recommended for direct drinking; buy bottled water. In winter, attacks on the power grid may cause planned and emergency outages — prepare a headlamp, drinking water and warm clothing. All transport and opening information in this article is subject to the latest official announcements; in wartime, change is extremely fast, and old guides must not be used as a basis.